Thursday, August 2, 2007

Remove This Offensive Flag from Public View!

Recently, I have detected an uneasiness in my soul when I find myself in the presence of a display of a national symbol which, during it’s history, has been present at disgusting events of offensive conduct on the part of the nation it represents.

When I think back over the history of this National Flag I find that I am offended by it’s presence and I believe it is in the best interests of the people of this country, especially the children, the people of color, and the native, indigenous, peoples of this land, that it be removed from public view and placed in a museum, under glass, so that future generations, interested in it’s history, can hear a sanitized version, a “less offensive” re-telling of the events, places, and circumstances, of the long, and less than glorious, history of this piece of offensive cloth.

The early history of this flag finds it flying proudly over a rag tag bunch of rebels determined to secede from a mother country which, of course, wished only the best for it’s colonies, which it held in the highest esteem. This dirty, bunch of rabble did manage to wrest their separation from that amiable mother country and forced the troops of Great Britain to board ships and leave for home immediately. It was forced deportation… at gunpoint. How deplorable!

Another hurtful fact of the history of this flag…the same raggedy bunch created what they called a “republic” from the remnants of a country left after the “genocidal” war they started. Now comes the really corrupt part: They agreed to legalize slavery in the country they created, because, they said, if they didn’t, it would be impossible to form a country and a government. So, slavery was instituted, under law, in the states of the new country, north and south. But, the new government would not allow the southern states, where the plantations were, to use their own resources, as in ships and ports, to bring in new slaves from Africa. No, this bunch of dastardly people, made sure the slave ships were only allowed into northern ports in New England. The truly horrible thing is... that national flag, I now find offensive, was flying over every one of those slave ships from this new upstart country. As the newly arrived slaves stepped, shackled, down the gangplanks, and onto the shores of the country, which had enslaved them, they saw this flag flying above the docks and piers of this harbor in the northern part of this country. The old mother country, and other European countries, had her own slave trade but they flew, of course, their own flags.

Then, in the middle part of the 19th century, the southern half of this fairly new country wanted to separate itself and form a new nation... just as the constitution allowed. The northern part of the country said no... and sent troops into the south to pillage, rape, and burn the homes, and factories, of the south. All the time, that national banner I now find offensive, was snapping in the breeze, above the troops in blue, as they ripped apart a society, like none other on earth, and destroyed it, killing innocent women and children, sometimes by starvation, as at Vicksburg. Needless to say, their sheer numbers forced their southern brothers to capitulate. Then followed seven years of even harsher punishment by the northern part of that country on the south. It was a calculated decimation of a people never before seen in the annals of history. And that offensive flag was flying above the perpetrators the entire time.

Soon after that debacle, the same country decided the native people of the country, the people who were here when the white man’s ancestors stepped off the first ships, were now an "inconvenience" and they began a crusade of genocide to wipe them from the face of the earth. One of their generals even stated, “A good Indian is a dead Indian.” All the while... that banner of theirs was flapping in the air above all those atrocities.

Even today hate groups, some wearing white robes and some with shaved heads, meet beneath this flag as they pontificate about destroying the people of color in the county. They also meet beneath the Christian Cross and the Battle Flag of the southern people of this country. You see, these patrons of hate know the Battle Flag will receive the attention of the press... and not the flag I find offensive. Nor the Christian Cross, because the Christian creed enjoins those, who subscribe to its tenants, to forgive this kind of conduct. So, the offensive flag flies happily above these hateful events in total immunity to harsh treatment by the “oh, so easily offended" media.

The early histories of the people who are represented by this offensive flag were times of overbearing hate, and conquest, and genocide. Yet that same flag flies above legislative buildings, schools, post offices, courthouses, and even private homes in a boisterous manner designed to offend the sensibilities of every “right thinking” man and woman. This must be brought to a end. That flag must be removed from public display.

Those of us who band together and form organizations to further the progress of our group of “right thinking” peoples, must insist that this blood stained banner, this hateful rag, be pulled down, and never again allowed to be seen in public for fear of offending someone.

If we must, we will seek legislation towards that end. The people under this flag must not allow their self esteem to be diminished by this blatant display of an emblem with such a tarnished past.

Yes, the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, must come down. It is offensive. We cannot have if displayed over the graves of veterans, and such, because passers-by, who know of it’s ugly history, may be offended.

A new flag must be designed for all the people… for this nation. May I suggest a very simple flag? I suggest one, which represents all the sensitivities, of all who reside under it.

I hereby suggest… a solid white banner!

Longstreet

*************************** Dear Reader: If you are now incensed by the scribbling above, I ask you to consider… it was written to be an absurd depiction of a truth that is, itself, absurd. What is happening to the Confederate Battle Flag today is absurd! My point is... if we continue to capitulate to groups who are offended, how long do you expect it will be until the scenario I describe above will play out on the stage of the courts of this country.

So, next time you read of someone offended by the Confederate Battle Flag, stop for a moment and consider the words above. Then lean on your political representatives to bring some kind of sanity back to this country, which finds itself in the dictatorial grip of Political Correctness, which is squeezing the life from us.

4 comments:

As my Professor at University was keen on reminding me - The Confederate Flag contains stars for each of the states that made up the Confederacy, and it is not identified with any one political group. It is definitely a legitimate flag of a geographical entity. It does not need redesigning, and should be accepted/claimed as the legitimate flag of all the peoples (of all races) of the Southern States, and their heritage/culture/history. There is a difference, between wearing a Rebel Flag symbol, and a hammer and sickle or a Nazi swastika. The last two identify a person with Communist or Nazi politics. The Rebel Flag just identifies a person with the states of the South of the USA, the former CSA states, and not necessarily with the politics of some Southerners at the time of the Confederacy.

Over here in Northern Ireland, the flag of CSA would still be seen as it is used to promote the Ulster - Scots heritage of those that emigrated from what is now Northern Ireland to the Southern States. However, nobody would be offended, nobody would associate the flag with racism and nobody would ask you to remove it.

I am surprised that the State Flag of Hawaii has not been altered. Having the flag of those evil British contaminating another flag!

No, it is not against the law to fly, or publicly display, the CBF. As a matter of fact, I have a NC state license plate, on my truck, with the SCV logo on it. The SCV logo IS the Battle Flag.

At the time of the "Recent Unplesantness" Scot-Irish immigrants, and the off-spring of Scot-Irish immigrant families, were the majority living in what became The Confederacy. It is not by accident the design for that flag was chosen. It IS the St. Andrew's Cross.

We are proud of our Scot-Irish Heritage.

On a shelf above this computer I have a display consisting of the Confederate Battle Flag, the Confederate Naval Jack, the 1st National Flag of the Confederacy, the 2nd National Flag of the Confederacy, and the Third National Flag of the Confederacy. On the Front of my home I fly, daily, the 1st National Flag of the Confederacy and the National Flag of the US. The US Flag is on the left in the place of honor.

I have been waiting for some one to attack the NC state flag. It is, for all intents and purposes, the flag of secession. You see, the state of NC had no state flag until the state seceded. The flag we now fly was designed for the purpose of NC Troops carryig it into battle. After The War the flag was kept and the dates on the flag were changed. So, the flag we fly over the state of NC is the flag our state's Confederate troops carried into battle.

The point is, that war is still alive today. It is woven into the fabric of The South and is inextricable. It defines us. It is who we are. We are decendants of the Celts and we are just as indomitable as the Celts.

About Me

J. D. Longstreet is a conservative Southern American (A native sandlapper and an adopted Tar Heel) with a deep passion for the history, heritage, and culture of the southern states of America. At the same time he is a deeply loyal American believing strongly in “America First”.